Finding the job you love isn’t easy, however, it is worth it. That’s because it influences your life personally and professionally. Working in a job you love makes you more productive, motivated, and satisfied. In return, this helps you grow as a person and provides you with tremendous career potential.
Also, working in a job you love is essential to maintain a healthy work-life balance. And, it’s key to preserving your physical & psychological well-being. We can liken this to living with a partner you love!
For instance, being with someone you love makes you happy, satisfied, and energetic. However, if you hate your partner, you’re more likely to feel demotivated, burned out, and miserable. Well, in this case, your job is like your partner (not literally of course!). So, to be satisfied, you should love them both.
But, let’s focus on how to find the job you love for now!
As you know, finding something you love takes time, and there is always a process involved. And, this is what we will help you with today.
Here are 7 steps to find the job you actually love!
1. Understand who you are
Before you begin searching for your ideal job, you should first understand yourself - as this helps you identify what you want and what you love. This is the first step, and it’s crucial to also identify your skills, interests, goals, and values, which all impact what kind of job you’d love to pursue.
Think of this step as a self-evaluation procedure. Consider your skills, strengths, weaknesses, passion, and objectives. Then, try to find a job that meets your criteria. In case you’re passionate about a certain field, try to identify what areas you need to improve - or what skills you need to develop to be eligible for your target job or field.
However, if you have difficulty identifying your passion or desired career, then you can seek help from a career expert. Or, you can run a personality test to discover your traits, skills, and interests. This will help you develop a good image of your personality and what kind of career you should pursue.
2. Don’t get tempted by your salary too much!
We know that working in a job with a competitive salary is financially rewarding. However, this doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be necessarily fulfilling. For instance, you can work in a role that offers a good paycheck at the end of every month. However, if you’re constantly feeling dissatisfied, drained, and miserable, then what’s the use of that money?
Don’t get me wrong! We know that good money can be very useful, also tempting. However, you should determine whether you would sacrifice your passion & dream job for a hefty salary. It’s all up to you!
Remember that working in your dream job may not be financially rewarding in the beginning. But, at least it’s fulfilling for you and offers great potential for your personal and professional growth. So, may be you don’t make that much money in your dream job now, but it won’t be the case forever. That’s because as you grow in your career, the financial reward grows along with it.
3. Identify the right job environment for you
Your job environment refers to your workplace conditions. This includes many factors such as your work hours, co-workers, company culture, and so on. What’s important is that your job environment can directly influence your performance, motivation, and professional success.
Accordingly, a part of finding the job you love is also about identifying the work environment that suits your needs. That’s because the work environment of the job you love must align with your values, skills, goals, and personality. Still, finding the right environment isn’t about comfort, but it’s about finding a space where you can grow and develop - including overcoming challenges and set-ups.
4. Reflect on your past work experience
This is also another way to find the job you love, or it can at least help you get a good idea about what you want. Your previous work experience is like your professional archive. So, when you reflect on it, it helps you identify the things you like vs the things you dislike about a particular job or field. This can help you learn a lot about yourself and what kind of job you’d love to pursue.
Reflecting on your past work experience can also help your strengths and weaknesses. Thus, it provides a clear image of what you’re good at and what needs to be improved. After all, every work experience is a history of mistakes and achievements, so try to learn from that the most.
5. Ask others, friends, family, mentors…
You might argue that self-discovery is primarily a personal matter. But, sometimes getting a different perspective from others can be very helpful & insightful - even when it comes to finding the job we love. Learning how others view us can help us learn about ourselves, including our talents, strengths, weaknesses, and interests.
So, consulting your close friends, family members, mentors or former colleagues can be very enlightening. That’s because it gives a refreshing image of yourself - your good side and bad side. As a result, this can hint at what you like and want, leading eventually to what type of profession suits you the best.
6. Use LinkedIn to learn about your dream job
Now, let’s say you’ve figured out what you want and you have your dream job in mind. Then, it’s the right time to start searching!
As you know LinkedIn is an amazing platform to network and find professional opportunities. It’s also very handy to search for your dream job, check job listings and descriptions, and stay up to date with the latest trends in your target field. So, it’s a priceless tool to search for the job you love and even discover new jobs that might interest you!
Final thoughts
In short, finding the job you love is a journey that requires patience, perseverance, and a good plan. It is important to take the time to reflect on what you truly want in a career and be willing to put in the effort to make it happen. Don't settle for just any job, but instead, pursue one that aligns with your values, skills, and interests. With hard work and dedication, you can turn your dream job into a reality.